


Cockbite Prison

by Groogly



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: AU, Broken Bones, Gen, Knives, Murder, Prison AU, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-01
Updated: 2015-07-27
Packaged: 2018-03-20 16:24:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3657075
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Groogly/pseuds/Groogly
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In Cockbite Prison, one of the biggest prisons in the country, the Achieve Gang rules. And then, the new kid shakes things up.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Table

**Author's Note:**

> This was the first thing I ever wrote, and until now, it's only been on Tumblr. But now it's here!

The intercom crackled to life.

            "All fuck-ups, report to the Yard for, I don't know, whatever the fuck you cockbites want."

            _Classic Kathleen_ , Geoff thought as he looked up from the license plate press, composed himself, and, putting his shiny new weapon in his pocket, gave the guards a half-baked look that still made them more than uneasy though he did not really try. Chuckling, he headed toward the Yard. _Why wouldn't they be nervous_ , he thought to himself, _I rule this prison, all these murderers, arsonists, psychopaths, robbers, they answer to- who the fuck is this asshole?_

            Geoff saw him, and so did everyone else, including his "friends", but unlike Geoff and his crew, they wanted no part of it. You see, at this very moment, a tall, messy haired prick was lounging, albeit nervously, facing away from him, on the table clearly marked "ACHIEVE" in big, carved, bloodstained letters.

            "Excuse me sir, I think that would be _my_ seat." Geoff announced, the entire yard falling silent to listen and watch the ridicule and subsequent murder they knew was about to take place.

            The offender looked around, somehow not noticing the only other person in the circle of prisoners watching the spectacle. Finally noticing Geoff, but not his intentions, he stepped off the table, and said without anymore of a hint of uneasiness then any other statement, "I don't see anyone's name on it."

            _Oh great, stupid, and British._ Geoff thought to himself as he looked the brit up and down, seeing how easy it would be to kill him if need be, though that comment just now did not help the situation he didn't know he was in.

            "Well then, maybe if I tell you my name you can write it on there for me. Geoff Ramsey, leader of the Achieve gang, at your disservice."

            He bowed low, too low to be serious, and looked up to see the dumbass _sitting on the fucking table again_.

            "The Achieve gang? Is that what this means?" He said, glancing at the etched letters and scratching his head "Well Geoff, _leader_ of the Achieve gang, my name is Gavin Free, and I have to say that Achieve is the worst name for a gang I have ever heard."  Sharp, cold metal pressed against his throat.

            "Well then," his assailant said "I have to say that you are the densest motherfucker in this prison." Gavin glanced over his shoulder to see a curly haired, glasses wearing face. He was still intimidated. No idea why.

            "Finally" Geoff exclaimed, "I was drawing this out simply because you assholes were taking so long to get here." The rest of his "little" gang walked out of the crowd and encircled Gavin and the table. Geoff walked over to join them, and Gavin, suddenly regretting the past five minutes, decided to remain silent.

            "Sorry Geoff," the bearded one said, "no one would move because they were too busy watching you prosecute this guy."

            "It's fine. Gavin, I would like you to meet the rest of the Achieve men, Jack, Ray, and Ryan, and the guy holding a knife to your throat would be Michael." Geoff acknowledged each of them as he said their names, and decided that since the formalities were taken care of, it was time to let this guy in on the ways of the prison. "Michael, you can let him go now."

            "Shit, I was hoping I would be able to use this nice piece of work for the first time." Michael said, admiring his impossibly shiny blue makeshift knife. He fell into line in front of Gavin. When he was a safe distance away, Gavin threw him the finger, and Michael started towards him, but Geoff held up his hand.

            "Maybe later, let's see how this goes. Anyway, I'm assuming that Mister Free is new here, and since nobody else was polite enough to tell him, here's how this prison works."

            Geoff, his words dripping with fake concern, decided to give Gavin the short version. "We run this prison, see? And if anyone messes with us..." Geoff gave a short chuckle. "Well, we have a problem, and even you could see we have one right now. But I'll get to that later." Geoff stopped to give Gavin time to comprehend his statement. When he was confident Gavin was caught up, he continued. "Alright, now that we have that established, here's another tip. Don't fuck with us. Got it? Fuck with us and we could, and will, get anyone in this prison, even the guards, no, _especially_ the guards to get you on a slab the day of, in accordance with our efficiency policy. Though some guards would fuck you up for fun, watch out for Miles by the way, he's fucking insane, and the Warden, don't even get me started on the Warden. You're in here now, and we rule, so try to stick to the walls, and your cell. Got that? Good."

            The man and his gang turned to walk away, the intercom had just announced that Yard time was over, and as they walked, the dumb, messy-haired prick called after them.

            "How can a gang that rules a prison be afraid of a guy named Miles?"

            Geoff stopped, turned slowly, for dramatic effect of course, and with a voice that made even his friends shiver, whispered, his voice shaking, "Go ask him. I hope he _tells_ you." He spat these last words, and Gavin felt like Michael had killed him anyway.    

* * *

The gang sat in a circle in the middle of the cell block, with the vacancy of Geoff and Ray. The members eyed each other cautiously. Geoff had never been gone before, and therefore Jack had no idea how to go about his second-in-command business. Finally, Ray sat down with the rest of them.

            "I was just informed by Joel that Geoff is still in 'anger management'."

            "Really? He should have been done an hour ago." Jack said, but with their recent... "foreign" encounter, he really wasn't that surprised.

            "That Gavin guy really got him worked up. He stabbed his dinner like it was that prick's neck." Michael said. "He was muttering really fucked up shit the whole time too. I mean, I can't blame him. No one has _ever_ challenged Geoff like that. With good reason too, but I'm just surprised that no one told the new guy about us. We run this place! Right?" Michael held out his hands and looked for a reassuring agreement.

            "Maybe he already knew." The voice was all too familiar. The circle looked up. _Gus_. "I mean, maybe he didn't care, or he was too stupid to realize how important you guys _really_ are." The Achieve gang had a bit of a "love"-hate relationship with Gus. The head guard, Gus was unique in that he talked to his wards. He was normal in that he hated all of them, with the exception of a few, dangerous, prisoners. And this gang was full of them, making them his "favorites." They hated talking to Gus, but they knew if he didn't, someone _else_ wound be sent in his place. No one wanted that either. So the lesser of two evils was chosen. Sadly, that lesser evil was persistent. They tried to tell him as little as possible, but he tired them out with his endless questions and attempts to gain trust.

            "Gus, no one is that stupid or that reckless" Jack snorted, but he wondered if those things were possible at the same time. Now there was a thought.

            "I'm just saying, there is no way he would ever mess with you guys if he wasn't an arrogant prick, or a stupid prick."

            Michael stood up and clenched his fists. "Thank you for that insight Gus. Now if you would excuse us, we would like to be able to continue our conversation in peace." Gus feigned fear.

            "Okay man, calm down. I'm gonna go find Caleb and ask him where Geoff is, just for you guys." As he walked away, Ryan gave him the rare double-fingered bird.

             "What a creep. Acting like he didn't know that Joel already told us where Geoff is. He's playing the long game for sure." Geoff entered the cell block. After a lot of unnecessary shoving and people moving out of his way, Geoff sat down with his crew.    "Soooo, how was anger management?" Ray the smart-ass guy as always.

            "Well, Ray, you jerk-off, if you _must_ know, Griffon and I had a nice chat about the newest member of the ball-and-chain club." Michael looked at Ray and rolled his eyes, pretending to gag. Ray chuckled, but Geoff cut him off.

            "You think this is funny asshole?" Ray fell silent. "No, I didn't think so. As I was saying, Griffon and I had a chat about our favorite Mister Free. The details aren't that important if you didn't here them from in here. But it got me thinking."

            "Thinking about what? You want me to kill him now?" Michael was suddenly eager.

            "No, that's not what I was thinking about."

            "You want Miles to fuck him up?"

            "No Ray, I-"

            "Oh, you want him to disappear. Joel and I could work something out."

            "No Ryan, I don't-"

            "You want to forget the whole thing ever happened and move on because it won't have any further effect on our lives?"

            "Jack, shut the hell up, I'm not a busta. What I-"

            "Well, what were you thinking about?"

            "WILL YOU ASSHOLES STOP INTERRUPTING ME SO I CAN FUCKING TELL YOU WHAT THE FUCK I WAS THINKING ABOUT!" The rest of them were fairly certain they had never heard Geoff that loud before. "What I was thinking, is that I want him in our crew." He was fairly certain he had never seen them so confused before.


	2. The Hydra

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin gets in a little trouble.

            It was a minute before Ryan spoke.

            "So, Geoff, what you're telling me is, you want the guy that disrespected you in front of the entire prison, the only one stupid enough to not realize how important you are, the one that kept talking even _after_ we threatened his life, you want _him_ of all people, to, whatever we call what we do, you want him to do that with us?"

            "I believe the correct vernacular is 'rolling', Ryan. And yes, that is exactly what I want."

            Michael was interested. "Why?"

            "Well Michael, we need to freshen up our circle. I don't know if you've noticed, but our presence here has been kind of slipping. From the fact that no one decided to tell Mister Free about our, eternal, never-ending reign upon his arrival, I can only assume that certain parties don't think us to be a threat. And as the gentlemanly and gracious leader of Achieve, I will not stand for this line of thinking to continue. Therefore, I propose to you the inclusion of Gavin Free into our circle."

            Ray threw his hands in the air. "But, why? I see no reason not to kill him or shut him up! Why invite him into our crew?"

             "Simple, my friend. Gavin stood up to us, yes?"

             "On accident..."

            "That's not important. What I'm saying is, the prison thinks by him surviving a death wish, made upon _our_ star, we're going soft. Now, I'm nothing if not a social butterfly, and I know how these people think. If they see the one that stood up to the big dogs become a big dog, they are gonna be a whole new level of intimidated, like 'Oh God, the Achieve gang has a new member, the guy that stood up to them no less. They obviously know they rule this place, so they must be setting an example. Man they are all so badass and handsome; I would have no issue with them boning my wife, and or girlfriend.'"

            Jack took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead. "Geoff, do you really think people will respect us more if we let a new guy with a mouth into our group? I mean, it was one thing getting all of us involved, we intimidated people anyway, but  no one knows who this Gavin guy is."

            "No you see, Jack, they do know who he is, _everyone_ does. And if we can get the guy that disrespected us to roll with us  and get rid of anyone else that tries to challenge us..." Geoff waited for someone to finish his sentence.

            "People will realize that anyone that tries to overthrow us will get a knife across the throat from the guy that tried it first." Michael's sudden comprehension was tangible.         The others looked at each other, considering what Geoff and Michael had said, but still obviously apprehensive.

            "Geoff has a point here guys. I mean, Gavin is a stupid motherfucker, but he's obviously a _naive_ stupid motherfucker."

            "He will have to do something for us beforehand, of course. Can't let him in without him wanting to be let in, now can we? That being said, all those in favor of letting Gavin Free into our crew, say 'I'."

            After a couple seconds, a unanimous 'I' was decided. For the good of the gang of course.

            The meeting was about to be adjourned for the night, until Joel ran up to them, out of breath, in public no less.

            "Well, well, well, if it isn't the omniscient Joel, the eyes and ears of our quaint little penitentiary. What brings you to our sleepy cell-block?" Geoff's tone was more than a little viciously sarcastic.

            "Well, asshole, I couldn't help but overhear your little vote, and I just thought that I would tell you that your man decided to take your advice about Miles."

            Geoff felt his crew's jaws drop, and he wondered how his luck was so bad that he only heard of this _after_ his speech concerning why this soon to be dead newbie should join their soon to be out of power crew.

 

            "Where are they?"  
            "Miles dragged him out to the yard."

            "Wants to put on a show. The sick fuck."

            They were hurrying, slow enough to not seem in a rush, but fast enough to get there in time. Other prisoners were pushing past them, and one prisoner bumped Geoff  hard enough to make him fall on his face.

            "Watch it, idiot!"

            "Fuck off."

            " _Perfect._ " Geoff thought as he caught up to his friends.

            They emerged out into the yard, and saw the crowd of prisoners gathered around Miles and Gavin. It appeared that Miles was currently trying to break his baton over Gavin's head. Blood was everywhere.

            Miles noticed the Achieve guys push to the front of the crowd. "Hello, chums, I was just making small talk with our friend from across the pond."

            Miles laughed at his own joke. "He wanted to know why you pieces of shit were scared of me! I don't see where you guys would get that impression!" Miles slammed his boot into Gavin's leg. Gavin screamed in pain. "Gavin, quiet buddy, people are trying to sleep."

            "Fuck...you" Gavin was, surprisingly, still conscious.

            Michael stepped forward, but Geoff stopped him. "Geoff, Miles is gonna kill him."

            "No, he won't, not unless I say so, you know that." _Probably_.

            Miles picked Gavin up and kneed him in the chest, over and over. He let go, and Gavin fell down, coughing up blood.

            "Dude, you should probably get that checked out. That seems like an internal issue." Miles admired his bloody nightstick.

            Gavin staggered to his feet and raised one of his fists, bone sticking out of his other arm.

            "How the fuck is he still standing?" Michael asked.

            "Wow, you are so thick. But even you could see, my British friend, THIS IS WHY THESE PEOPLE ARE FUCKING AFRAID OF ME!" Miles roared, and was about to bring his baton down on Gavin's head when Geoff intervened.

            "MILES!"

            Miles smiled at Geoff. "What the fuck do you want Ramsey? I thought you of all people would want this charming young fellow dead, and I would have been happy to oblige."

            "He isn't worth the paperwork. And anyway, I wanted to take care of this myself. Now, GET HIM TO THE INFIRMARY!" Geoff was red in the face, upset that he had to do this in front of all these people.

            Medics rushed in to take Gavin away. Miles looked disappointed.

            "You never let me have any fun, do you?"

            "Fuck off."

            "Alright, you let me know if you need me to play with anyone else." Miles laughed like someone just told the world's funniest joke, and walked away, still admiring his baton and chuckling to himself.

            "Geoff, do you still want him in the gang?"

            "Yes, now more than ever. He just took a beating from fucking Miles, and still got up to fight him."

            "So?"

            " _So_ , that shows he's resilient." Geoff pulled that out of his ass. He had no new reasons for Gavin to be in the gang.

 

            Gavin woke up in the infirmary with a red haired nurse standing over him.

            "Oh, good, you're awake. I'll tell the guards."

            "Wait." Gavin grabbed her wrist. "Is Miles here?"

            "Oh god no. We would never let that psychopath in here. Too dangerous. Half these people are in here because of him."

            "Thank god" Gavin sighed. "By the way, what's your name?"

            "You do realize this is a prison, right? I can't tell you that even if I wanted to. Just call me Margret, I guess."

            "Yeah, ok, sounds good." Gavin laid his head back, not believing he had been so stupid. He felt the bandage around his head, and found that one arm was in a cast. "Great."

            He felt like an idiot. And rightfully so, he thought. Geoff's warning that Miles was dangerous should have gotten through to him. But it didn't, and he got fucked up because of it. He could see his stupidity now. He had gone up to Miles, asked him "Hey, why are people so afraid of you?" only for Miles to laugh, grab him by the neck, and drag him out to the Yard. Mistake one. He remembered Miles pulling his arm behind his back and expertly twisting it until there a snap, and pain. Mistake two. Geoff had stopped Miles from killing him. Why the fuck would he ever do that? Didn't Geoff hate him? Gavin was very confused, and laid there thinking until a two guards, one looking nervous as fuck and one not giving a fuck walked up to him.

            "Okay, Prisoner-"

            "Caleb, there is no need to use his Prisoner number, he's a person just like us. Hello Gavin, I'm Gus, head guard, and this is my friend Caleb. He's kind of new, so I'm showing him the ropes until he gets settled."

            Caleb shifted nervously, not quite sure why his boss was acting friendly towards a prisoner. "Um, shouldn't we tell him about-"

            "Oh, yes, _thank you Caleb_ , I was just getting to that. What my buddy here is talking about is that there are some people in the prison that want to, I would say talk to you, but talking isn't physical enough. Now, I'm not one to intrude on someone's personal business, but if I were you, I wouldn't trust anyone in this prison."

            "Even you?"

            "No, of course you can trust me, I'm the head guard, why would you not be able to trust me, what, are you fucking stupid or something, Jesus fucking Christ."

            Gus regained his friendly expression, but Gavin was wary now.

            "Gus, shouldn't we leave the prisoner to rest so that he can get out of the infirmary before Miles sends someone to take his place."

            "Yes, of course, thank you for that kind reminder Caleb. These beds have been in high demand since we hired Miles. Don't take that out of context or you're fired."

            "Yes, sir."

            Gus and Caleb left Gavin to wallow in his stupidity yet again, but at least he had something else to wallow in now. The fear of death. Oh joy.

            The nurse, "Margret" walked over to him with a clipboard.

            "Okay, I just need you to sign this statement saying that Miles had nothing to do with your injuries and you can-"

            "Wait a bloody second. He _did_ have something to do with my injuries. Why can't you just report him?"

            "Because, newsflash, Miles is a _psychopath_ , and if everyone that Miles injured decided to report him, the morgue would be busier than we are."

            "Oh."

            "Because he would kill them."

            "Yeah, I got it."

            "Good. So if you could just sign the waiver, you should be out of here in a day or two."

            "With a cast?"

            "Yep."

            "I don't suppose anyone would sign it."

            "Not unless you like red."

            Gavin signed the form, and the nurse quickly walked away. Gavin decided to spend the next day figuring out how he could get a prison doctor to change his face...and his voice...and his memories, for that matter.

           

            The day after Gavin left the infirmary, he was sitting in the Cafeteria, eating easily the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. It looked like soggy bread. He was just about to dig into the jell-o, or was that tomato soup, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.     "Gavin not-so-Free. Long time no see."

            Gavin turned around, only to see a fist coming straight for his face.

            He woke up in a very dingy cell, with Geoff standing in front of him. He realized that he was tied to an equally dingy chair.

            "Don't bother with those ropes. Ryan was a Boy Scout for six years."

            "Would have gotten Eagle too." The voice came from his right.

            "Okay, so you guys have me tied up in a cage. Are you going to kill me now?"

            "What, no, Gavin, we would never kill you."

            "But Gus said-"

            "Gus is a snake. Who likes snakes? Answer: no one. No one likes a snake."

            "So you're not going to kill me?"

            "I just said that. I know you're still reeling from my stellar one hit K.O. but you have to stay with it. No, I want to make you an offer."  
            "What kind of offer?"

            "One where you get to live, and we get to rule this prison again."  
            "I thought you already ruled this prison."

            Gavin felt someone lift his chair and knock him onto his face.

            "You shut the fuck up. We're not going to kill you as long as you don't say anything stupid."

            That was certainly Michael. Gavin was dragged to his feet.

            "Can we cut you loose without you swinging?"

            Gavin nodded, and felt the ropes fall from around his hands. He stood up, dusted himself off with his one good hand, and looked around the cell. They were standing around him, and he knew everyone, except for a figure in the corner. Gavin couldn't see his face, never mind remember a sixth member of the Achieve gang.

            "What do you want from me?"

            Geoff smiled at Gavin.

            "Gavin, what we want, is for you to cooperate, no, _help_ us with our plans to rule this prison."

            Gavin was confused, then everything made sense, then he was confused again.

            "I thought you hated me."  
            "We did, but I realized after talking about my problems, meaning you, that you were actually an asset to us."

            "So you want me to join you guys in the Achieve gang?" Gavin didn't know what to think of this generous offer.

            "Yep, one-time offer. Get it before it gets you."

            Ray interjected. "Think about it Gavin. The whole prison around your finger. If someone makes you mad, just snap your fingers, and they're gone. Prisoners will leave you alone. Guards will respect you. _Miles_ can't touch you."

            Gavin looked at his cast. That _would_ be nice. "Alright, then, let me think about it. I've thought about it, and I'll do it. But what's the catch."

            Geoff looked hurt. "Gavin, please tell me why would you ever think that there would be a catch to this, because you would be totally right." Geoff put his arm around Gavin's injured shoulder. "Picture this with me. We were rushing towards the yard to witness you getting your ass kicked by Miles, great show by the way, and some prick pushed me over. Can you imagine? Well, as is the custom, I said 'Watch it stupid' and he, uncustomary for me as the leader of this prison to hear, told me, and I quote, 'Fuck you'. I was annoyed, yes, but I saw an opportunity. So, Gavin, if you want to join the Achieve crew, you have to do one simple thing. Kill him."

            Gavin's eyes grew in fear. "Kill him? He knocked you over, I called you out on accident, why not kill me, and get him in the crew?"  
            "Have you ever heard the story of the Hydra and Hercules? Hercules found that if he cut off one of the Hydra's heads, two would grow back. But he discovered that if he burned the stump of a severed head, that head wouldn't grow back and split. You have created many heads, Mr. Free." Geoff shoved a shiv into Gavin's one good hand. "Start burning."


	3. Orientation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gavin is introduced to the ways of prison life.

            When dinner rolled around, Geoff dragged Gavin to the corner of the lunchroom.

            "Okay, Gavvy, your man is over there." Geoff pointed to a short tubby guy with curly black hair and wiry glasses. "He's the first stump. Melt that bitch down to ash." Geoff punched Gavin in the shoulder so hard that he stumbled forward, almost falling onto his broken arm.

            _Alright Gavin, just treat it like a bandage. Just rip it off, and there will be less pain. For you and him._ Gavin was behind him now. He took a deep breath, and then another, and then another, and then- _okay Gavin now you're just stalling_. Gavin looked at the back of the man's head, then at Geoff and the rest of them watching expectantly. Sighing, he grabbed the man's head, and shoved the knife into his throat. Michael made a noise of surprise and amusement.

            "Does he know that the guy will suffocate now? Not exactly a quick death."

            Geoff squinted at Gavin. "I don't think he does."

            Gavin stared at the man gasping for air on the floor, blood running out of the wound in his neck, making a thick red puddle. He waited a second longer, and then headed towards the group, pushing past guards and prisoners alike. He shoved the bloody knife into Geoff's outstretched hands.

            "There's your torch. Now where's my prize?"

            Geoff stared at Gavin. He was handling it surprisingly well.

            "Your prize, dearest Gavin, is that you won't be punished for stabbing a guy in the throat. You are in the Achieve gang, and everything the air of imprisonment touches, is our kingdom."

            The other men gave Gavin encouraging pats on the back, and "three cheers" and all that, not for the kill, they didn't really care, but for their newest member. But Gavin just stared at the man jerking around on the floor, blood sputtering from his mouth.

            "I killed that guy." The other men fell quiet and stared at Gavin. "I killed him, but he's not dead yet. How does that even bloody work?"

            Michael put his hand on Gavin's shoulder. "It's not that big of a deal Gavin. This is a prison. If _you_ didn't kill _him_ , _he_ woulda killed _you_. Eventually"

            Gavin stared daggers into Michael, a look that gave them all chills, a look that they had no idea he could give, and then he turned and walked away.

 

            "Gavin was crying the entire night."

            Joel had decided to join them at breakfast, but he wasn't eating.

            "His cellmate, Ben, you know, the other brit, said he wouldn't say a word, just laid in bed and cried."

            "He'll get over it. They always do." Geoff was apathetic. "First time I killed a guy, one tear left my eye. Granted, a whole lot more left my stomach, but I never cried about it like a pussy."

            "He's not a pussy. He's normal." Jack said. "No human has ever killed anyone and not felt something, except maybe Miles. Though I don't know if he qualifies as human."

            Jack felt a hand on his shoulder.

            "Are you talking about me? I knew you guys liked me." Miles was a creepy degree of cheerful, even for him.

            "Miles, what the fuck do you want?"

            Miles put his hands on the table and grinned at Jack. "Well Beardy, I was just coming over to tell you guys that you did a great job with Gavin. Seriously." Miles started clapping as loud as he could.

            That struck a chord with Ryan. "What the fuck do you mean by that?"

            "Well, guy I have no cutesy nickname for, what I mean is that you turned a weak British baby into a fucking _killer_. In, like, a day. I must commend you on your efficiency." He sighed like he had just remembered his first kiss. "It was such a good kill, too. So much blood everywhere. I bet Gavin will have nightmares for weeks. But he did it, and he did it for you guys. Isn't that just the sweetest thing I have ever heard?"

            Geoff stood up. "You can't touch him. We'll protect him."

            "Oh, yes, Geoff, I know. I can't touch him _now_. But just you wait. I've seen it before. That little string in the brain that holds everything together. I've seen it pull tighter, and tighter, until one day, one action... _snap_." Ryan began to clench his fists. "And then they just tie it back together in a neat little knot like nothing ever happened, hoping against hopelessness that it will be enough. But it never is. I should know. I was a Boy Scout for most of my life." A fake look of realization appeared on his face. "Hey, would you look at that? So was _Ryan_!" Ryan lunged forward, and it took Ray, Michael, Joel, and Jack to hold him back. Ryan got eye to eye with Miles.

            " _You get the FUCK out of here, MOTHERFUCKER, or I will kill you with my FUCKING FOREHEAD._ "

            Miles laughed so hard he almost couldn't stand up.

            "okay, guys, I'll see you later. Good talk. Just remember, that string _will_ snap. And when it does, oh, when it does, I will be there, with some very sharp scissors."

            As Miles walked away in hysterics, Ryan sat down, shaking with rage.

            Jack stared at Miles in disgust. "Ryan, don't listen to him. What you did is behind you."

            "He's right though."

            Geoff became annoyed. "So what? You're here now, so stop moping. We need to find Gavin for his mandatory informational meeting."

 

            Geoff decided it would be fitting to have Gavin's orientation at the place where he first wanted to kill him. _Such memories_.

            Gavin, looking much less shaken up since yesterday, sat down on the other side of the table from the rest of them. He felt like he was back in court.

            "So what is this meeting about?" He didn't sound like the prick from three days ago. He sounded annoyed with the whole affair.

            "Gavin, consider this an icebreaker. We'll go around the circle and give a brief summary of why we're in jail."

            "Why?"  
            "Because you should know why we're in jail, and what we bring to the team."

            "That sounds ridiculous."

            "You sound ridiculous. Now shut up and listen. As you may know, I'm the leader of this here outfit, and I have been since I founded it five years ago. But before I was here I was pretty high up in the mafia. So if there's any loose ends you wanna tie up outside, you just ask."

            Jack stood up. "I'm second-in-command, even though I've never had to be the leader. The reason I'm in prison is that I got a little... angry, with my wife, and it didn't end well." Jack sat down, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. Gavin stared at Jack. How could someone so kind do something like that?

            "I'm Ray, and I came to Alcoholics Anonymous because I've been an alcoholic for twenty years." He looked for a smile. "Nah, I'm just kidding. I'm the supplies guy. You need a knife, come to me. You need booze, come to me. You need extra sheets for a blanket rope to attempt the worst escape ever? I'm your guy." Gavin was confused.

            "But why are you in prison?"

            "Well, I mean, YOLO, am I right?"

            Geoff translated. "We don't know why he's in prison. He won't tell anyone. Not even Joel knows."

            Michael jumped up on the bench. "Alright bitches, Michael's turn! I'm here because I was with a gang in Jersey and we got busted. I have no problem with violence, so if you need any loose ends tied up _inside_ , then _I'm_ your guy."

            Ryan's turn. "okay Gavin, you've probably been told stories about me already, so I'm sure you know-"

            "Actually I wasn't."

            Ryan was taken aback. " _No one_ told you?"

            "Nope."

            "Well then, long story short, I went a little crazy one day, and I killed some people." Ryan saw Gavin's eyes change from disinterest to concern. "I'm fine now though, I promise! I haven't snapped since. But I still got sent here, because I decided not to plead insanity. Because I'm not crazy."

            "Okay, I believe you."

            "Good. Anyway, I'm the smart guy. Not that my compatriots aren't smart, I'm just, you know, smarter."

            "What about Joel? Where's he?"

            "He usually doesn't come to our meetings. He usually finds out what was said anyway. No one knows why he's in jail. Very secretive about it. Usually changes the subject when we try to find out. But he knows everything that goes on in this prison. And I mean _everything_. We don't even know how he does it. So Gavin, why are you in prison?"

            Gavin glanced at Geoff. "I was caught robbing a bank. I had done it tons of times before. I had a partner. We had a plan. It went a little wrong, and some hostages died. After that, the police stormed the bank. They shot my partner, and they arrested me."

            "What happened to your partner?"

            "They told me he was dead, but I didn't to see a body."

            "Dude, that's rough." Geoff was unnaturally sympathetic. "But he's dead now, and you aren't, so good on you."

            "Yeah, I guess. So why am I here?"

            "Gavin, you've already started. Your job is crowd control. If anyone decides to speak against us, or gossip like a high school girl, we won't do anything. But you, Gavin, will keep on burning, until they can't grow anymore heads. _That_ is your job."

            "So I'll have to keep killing people? Can't I just, you know, not?"

            "No, Gavin, you can't just, not, because you're the one who started it. You have to finish the shit you start; didn't your parents ever tell you that?"

            Gavin's expression was blank, though the guilt was apparent in his eyes.

            "Alright. Anything else?"

            "Yes, actually."

            "What do I need to do now? Haven't I done enough?"

            "It's nothing like that Gavin. You gotta get something that'll show everyone that you're with us now. Something obvious."

            "What?"

            Geoff rolled up his sleeves, revealing heavily tattooed arms.

            "A tattoo, obviously."

            "And where do you suggest I get one of those in a prison?"

            Geoff smiled. "I know a guy."

 

            Geoff banged on the heavy door. No answer. He banged again. Still no answer. Gavin glanced around at his new friends. They didn't show any signs of impatience. This was probably normal. Geoff banged the door again, harder this time.

            "Yo, Rise-monger, open up, I got a fresh canvas for ya."

            The door swung open, revealing a surprisingly clean face.

            "Geoff, you know I don't like that nickname."

            "It'll grow on you, just you wait."

            They shuffled inside the room. It was dimly lit, and held a small table with ink, a needle, and a really dirty rag, next to two chairs.

            "So, Jon, why are we in an abandoned office, when you could have easily done this in your cell or in the yard?" Gavin was confused by the strange setup and by the fact that the prison hasn't shut it down.

            "Gavin, was it? Let me tell you something about this prison. As long as you stay out of the way, no one cares what you do, as long as it doesn't involve breaking out or ritual killings. If I was in the yard or in my cell, the prisoners would get restless, and then the guards would get annoyed, and then the Warden would get annoyed, and I don't need that shit in my life." He took a deep breath. "I'm not here for anything violent, I'm here for art fraud, and I'd like to keep red off my hands. Unless it's ink of course."

            "So you just come here instead of the yard everyday? Doesn't that get boring?"

            "Sometimes. But usually I get someone in here looking for some edgy new art piece permanently on their skin, so I oblige, and it takes up most of my time. Speaking of taking up time, are we gonna do this or not."

            Geoff pushed Gavin into the chair. "Of course we are. Give him a tattoo that says ACHIEVE in big fancy letters, over our star."

            "Star?"

            "Yes, Gavin, a star. You got a problem with that, you can take it up with my secretary that I don't have, oh well, looks like you have to deal with it."

            Jon looked more and more annoyed. "Where do you want to put it?"

            Gavin had never gotten a mandatory tattoo before, he didn't know. He looked at Geoff for advice.

            "Oh, put it on the back of his shoulder blade, no one has done that before. Plus he won't be able to steal my cool skeleton wing design. That's my trademark."

            "Geoff, you do realize that's one of the most painful places to get a tattoo, right?"

            "Yes, I realize that. He can suck it up; he's a big boy now. No Pampers for him."

            "Okay. Can we be done so that I can start?

            "You could have started while we were talking, why would you-"

            "Leave."

            "What?"

            "I need to focus on my craft, and I can't do that with you five gallivanting about, and you're probably going to talk, and I can't focus if people are being loud. So goodbye."

            Geoff and the others shuffled from the room, mumbling to themselves.

"Okay, Gavin, I'm gonna put some booze on this, but it's still gonna hurt."

            "You're gonna waste alcohol for this?"

            "Yeah, because if I end up making a guy pass out from pain, all this goes away. And I'll have nothing to occupy my time. Plus, I can just get Ray to get me more. He gets 'cakes' all the time."

            "You're saying cake is how he gets his supplies?"

            "Most of it."

            Jon touched the needle to skin.

            "JESUS THAT HURT. Bloody hell, Jon. I don't think you used enough booze."

            "You heard Geoff. Suck it up."

            For a few minutes, the only sound was the buzzing of the needle. Gavin decided to ask the question that had been on his mind.

            "So, how can make Geoff leave like that without him murdering you?"

            "Because if Geoff murdered me, he would have no one to give him the last five tattoos that he has room for. He said he wants to be a living canvas, covered head to toe in 'badassery'. Whatever that means."

            "Why?"

            "Pride, mostly. We usually talk while I do my thing. He kinda has a complex from his days in the mob. When he came here, people knew about him, so they avoided him, and he liked that. But he felt he didn't look tough enough, so he came to me. Said he was gonna rule the prison, that people were gonna respect him, fear him, and I didn't believe him. But look where he is now."

            "Almost out of power."

            "Yeah, and he thinks that you're the one to get it back."

            "That sounds bloody stupid."

            "Yep, that's what I told him. But now here you are, less than a week in prison, and already a prince in a ruling kingdom. By the way, I have to give you props on the whole table thing. Even though you had no idea that it was such a big deal at the time."

            "I don't feel so good about it now."

            "I would give anything to have the protection you do. You know, without the fact that you are pretty much crowd control for the group now. I don't like violence."

            "You stab people with needles."

            "Because they ask me to. He asked _you_ , didn't he? You didn't have to kill that guy. They certainly weren't gonna kill you if you didn't."

            The blood drained from Gavin's face. "Really?"

            "Yeah, really. For something like that they would rather leave pariahs than corpses. But it's over now right? You got in, so I guess that means that you have balls. You straight up murdered that guy. For your own survival. Prison got to you fast, huh?" Jon looked at Gavin's horrified expression and smirked. "Whelp, the star is done. Time to fill in the letters." Gavin was silent.

            What felt like hours passed. Gavin's face was in a permanent grimace from the pain. _I didn't have to kill that bloody guy. I didn't even think to say no. I just did it. What kind of person does that?_ Jon was just about to finish his tattoo. _I guess me. And I'm gonna have to keep being that person. Or Geoff will most likely kill me. Or Miles._ Gavin saw Miles standing over him with a bloody baton, laughing like...well, like Miles. _No fucking way._ He took a deep breath. _Suck it up Gavin. The only thing left to do is burn._ Finally Jon stood up.

            "Okay, Gavin. You're done."

            Gavin shot up. "No, I don't think I am."

            "What the fuck does that even mean?"

            "I'm being dramatic for my internal monologue, shut your mingin' mouth."

            Jon sighed. "My skills are wasted here."

 

            A month later, Gavin lowered the body to the ground.

            "Rest in peace."

            Geoff tapped Gavin on the shoulder.

            "Are you done yet? Yard time is over."

            "Yeah. I'm done."

            Gavin sighed. Three jobs in one day. This was getting ridiculous.

            "Geoff, I thought you said that me doing this dumb job would fix everything."

            "Yes Gavin, I did say that, but Joel tells me that someone is still being rebellious as dicks. We're trying to find out whom. In the meantime, keep killing."

            "Fine."

            Michael walked up.

            "The medics are on the way."

            "Say hello to Meg for me."

            Michael rolled his eyes.

            "You with Meg again. Fine, I'll say something. She's kinda horrified with you though."

            "I don't blame her."

            Gavin turned to walk away.

            "Hey Gaaaaavin."

            _Oh shit._

Gavin turned around to the smiling face of Miles. No surprise there.

            "Nice one buddy. You really are the crowd control. Your job is two thumbs up. And then chopped right off and swallowed whole. PLOT TWIST!" _There he goes with the laughing again. What the fuck is wrong is him? He is still laughing._ Miles recovered. "Man, I am so good at telling a story. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that every time you kill a guy, I add another kick to the ribs that I have to give you when that wall that protects you falls down. Welp, better help these guys get the meat puppet onto the slab. Routine stuff. See ya later buddy!"

            _God, what a psycho_. _Miles has like a reverse Stockholm syndrome for_ _me_. _Add that to the insanity list. Wow, that is a long list._


	4. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff starts something big.

            Geoff walked up to Gus after the medical personnel were done with the body.

            "Gus, I need to talk to the Warden."

            "Okay, buddy, I'll be sure to get that worked out." Gus turned back towards the body that was currently on its way to the morgue.

            "I'm serious. Me and him need to have a little chat."

            "What are you going to do if I don't get you a meeting?"

            "Well Gus, I'm sure you would hate it if someone, I'm not saying who, decided to start a little riot. And in that riot, certain guards, the best in fact, just _happened_ to get beaten to death. _I_ surely wouldn't want that to happen. Would you?"

            Gus looked at Geoff with a pained expression. _Surely he wouldn't do that. He knows the consequences. Oh, shit, does he mean me when he says best guard? Fuck._

            "Couldn't hurt to get you two caught up." Gus had the most forced smile he had ever attempted. "Of course, you will be watched by armed guards the whole time."

            "Yes Gus, I know the 'protocol'. Don't you worry, me and Burnie are gonna have a real nice chat."

            An hour later, Geoff sat in a comfortable chair across from Matt, Burnie's secretary. On either side, two guards; Caleb, the scared one, and a red headed woman Geoff had never seen before, stood guard.

            Matt answered his intercom with his headset. "Burnie says come on in."

            Geoff and his two escorts shuffled into the office. Burnie looked up from his computer and smiled.

            "Geoff! Great to see you man! How have you been? Have you been enjoying your 'iron grip' on the prison? Tell me, how's Gavin doing? Is he comfortable? Does he need anything?"

            "Shut the hell up asshole. And wipe that stupid grin off your face, you aren't fooling anyone." Geoff heard the woman attempt to hold in a laugh behind him. Burnie's face turned into a scowl.

            "Do you think that's funny, Lindsay?"

            "No, sir."

            "That's what I thought. So Geoff, why the fuck did you bring your filth into my office? I'm not getting you any more booze."

            "I don't want that. I want something better."

            "Will you just tell me so you can get the fuck out of my office and I can burn that chair."

            "I want a suit."

            This time Caleb almost laughed. Burnie glared at him.

            "You want...a suit? Like, full on dress suit? No fucking way. This is a prison, not a David's Bridal."

            Geoff rolled his eyes. "Yes, Burnie, a suit. I'd like to look dapper when I rule my prison. Either I get a suit, or a riot will go down. And then a government official will come in, and I'll make sure you won't be able to get this prison in order in time, and then you'll come under review. And then everyone will see how _great_ of a job you've done running this prison. And you don't want that." Geoff got up to leave. "I'll send you my measurements later." He slammed the door behind him.

            "Burnie, what should we do about this?"

            "Lindsay" Burnie was visibly shaking with anger. "Get his fucking measurements."

            As Caleb and Lindsay closed the door and walked past Matt's desk, they could hear Burnie cursing at the top of his lungs.

 

            The guys were about to start their meeting. Geoff had called for it out of nowhere, and he was still late. They sat silently, fidgeting, checking glasses, cracking knuckles, fixing hair.

            "Michael."

            "What Gavin?"

            "You want to see me jump my own leg?"

            "Gavin, nothing would delight me more."

            Gavin smiled, and hurried to his feet. He stood in the middle of the circle, and held his right leg behind his left.

            "Okay, I'm really gonna do it this time." The rest of the group waited for what they knew was coming.

            "One. Two. Three! GAUGH!" Gavin jumped straight into the air, and, catching his arm under his foot, fell on his face.

            The group burst into laughter so loud that other prisoners looked over to see if someone had gotten stabbed.

            Michael barely regained his composure. "Gavin, you are so _stupid_." He started laughing again.

            "Aww, Micoo, why would you say that? I thought I could do it this time!" The rest of the group, who had almost calmed down, started laughing harder than before.

            "What the fuck are you idiots cracking up about?" The group stopped laughing and immediately turned towards Geoff, who had entered the block as Gavin was whining to Michael.

            "Holy fuck, Geoff, you shoulda seen it. Gavin tried to jump his own leg again, and the stupid bitch ate crev."

            "He got fucked up."

            "Gavin, you are so stupid. I can't have you breaking any bones. _Especially_ since I just started Phase One of our Grand Plan."

            Everyone in the circle, excluding Ryan, immediately demanded for Geoff to explain himself.

            "What the fuck is the 'Grand Plan'?"

            "Are we breaking out?"

            "Are we gonna kill some people?"

            "GEOFF WHAT THE BLOODY HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!" Everyone stopped and turned to look at Gavin, who shrunk into his clothes. "Sorry."

            Geoff sighed and sat down. "Ryan, would you care to assist me in explaining the plan to our fine lads and gentleman."

            "It would be my pleasure."

            "Thank you. Before I begin, I have to say that I am really impressed with the job you guys have done keeping this prison under control. And I will also have to say that we need to go somewhere more private, where no one can hear us discuss the details." Geoff flicked his eyes towards Gus, who eyed them suspiciously. They got up and left.

            Gus pulled out a walkie-talkie. "Caleb."

             Caleb's voice came crackling through the speaker. "Yes sir?"

            Gus smiled. "I have a job for you."

 

            Jon was in his cell at the moment, so after getting his approval, they had the abandoned office to themselves.

            They grabbed chairs from adjoining empty rooms and sat around the table.

            "Shut the door." Geoff said, as he pulled out a map of the prison and folded it out onto the table.

            Gavin wasted no time in asking Geoff what the Grand Plan was.

            "Gavin, the entire reason we're in this dank office is so I can tell you. So if you could just shut your mouth and listen, I can tell you."

            "Right, sorry."

            Geoff shook his head and began to explain. "As you all know, we've been in charge of this prison for about five years. But recently, thanks to _someone_ ," Geoff paused to cast an accusing look at Gavin, who looked at the floor. He continued, "The prisoners have been a little riled up as of late. So, I've decided to accelerate our plans."

            Michael interrupted. "Plans you haven't told us a thing about! How long have you had these 'plans' of yours?"

            Ryan stepped in. "For about a month before Gavin showed up. We were going to act on them when we felt like it, but now that the seeds of discord have been sown, we have to ahead of schedule."

            "Ryan, you knew about this?"

            "Knew about it? Hell yeah, I basically made them by myself, with some help from Geoff."

            "Yes, and I appreciate it. Because I've decided that its time we move on to something bigger."

            Gavin sat up in his chair. "Escape?"

            "Gavin, why would we ever want to escape? In here, we're kings. Out there, we're nothing to the world but criminals and vagabonds."

            "But isn't escaping the fun of being in prison?"

            "For some, yes. But this prison is way too secure. No way in, no way out. So, here's what we're going to do to make sure we rule this prison forever." He flashed a devilish grin. "We're gonna kill the Warden."

           

            Their jaws dropped. Gavin let out a squawk as he fell out of his chair.

            Jack spoke as he helped Gavin off of the floor. "You mean, like, murder him? Like, stabbing him, and killing him. The Warden. Even if we do that, how do you expect people won't notice this, or even for us to get rid of the body without every guard in the prison coming to kill us?"

            "That's where the plan comes in. You can't expect me to just kill the Warden without a plan. Come on Jack, you know me better than that."

            "I guess..."

            "Good. Now, onto the plan. Gavin, imagine that it's one of your heists. We get in, get want we want, and get out rich. In leadership, of course. But getting in will be just as difficult as getting out. We're gonna need a couple people on the  inside, so we know where guards are to minimize the amount _we_ need to get rid of, or sneak past, if we feel boring." Geoff looked to see if they were following. "Okay. Ray, you'll need to pull out all the stops to get us what we need."

            Ray laughed. "Yeah, I can do that. Just expect to eat contraband cake for a week afterwards."

            Geoff clapped his hands together. "To get this done, we'll split into teams." He pointed at the yard, which had its exit marked. "Ray and Ryan, you're gonna start a riot in the yard to get most of the guards distracted. Cause as much chaos as possible." Ryan's face grew worried, but Geoff continued on, pointing at the security room." Jack and Michael, you two are going to make sure that news of the riot does not leave this prison. Joel says he has a way to help, so go find him. Anyone uses a computer or a radio, we're gonna get a SWAT team in here, and we won't be able to do anything about that." Michael smiled at Jack, but Jack was too busy trying not to literally slap sense into Geoff to notice.  "Gavin, you and I are gonna do the deed." He pointed at the administration building and then pointed at Gavin. "I'm assuming you know how to secure and intimidate hostages."

            "Well, yes, but-"

            "Fantastic. So, when we hopefully kill the Warden, the best case scenario is that everything beforehand worked, and the guards will be too occupied with the riot to notice anything wrong, except for a few, select guards that will do nothing but survive, and they won't try anything either. So here's how we get the body to the morgue."

            "The morgue? We don't know anyone in there."

            "Actually, my sources tell me that Gavin does."

            Everyone looked at Gavin.

            He stood up. "No way! I am not getting 'Margret' involved in this. I've only talked to her once, and as far as I know she hates me. She didn't even tell me her real name!"

            Geoff pushed Gavin back into his chair. "For your information, dipshit, her name really _is_ Meg, she probably told you that it was fake to throw you off, and anyway, she has _no_ idea that it's you killing these guys. Everyone except the prisoners and the guards think Michael's been a little more violent lately."

            Gavin shook his head. "Still, I'm not gonna get her to drag the Warden's corpse to the morgue because you asked me to."

            Geoff got in Gavin's face. "Forget your little crush for one second and think of what's at stake. You _will_ talk to her, and if she doesn't want to do it, I can't guarantee that she's not gonna need a nurse of her own. So persuade her."

            Gavin opened his mouth but decided against speaking. He crossed his arms and began pouting.

            "Okay, so after we get the body out, we're going to have to get the prison in line. This shouldn't be too difficult after we let the riot calm itself down. Then I make a little announcement telling everyone about what we did."

            Jack asked the obvious question. "But won't someone, say a visitor that will definitely show up shortly after we do this, find out that the prison has been taken over?"

            Ryan took the floor. "Who said we're going to let in visitors? We're taking this entire prison hostage. Prisoners help us, and we kill the guards that decide not to pitch in. Easy peasy."

            "What will we do after that?"

            Geoff stepped in front of Ryan, who peeked out from behind him, clearly annoyed. "On the outside, this prison will look normal as dicks. On the inside, whatever the fuck we want." Geoff had a deranged look in his eyes.

            Gavin stared at Geoff in fear. "You're bloody crazy."

            "Gavin, if you don't want to help, I could just kill you and get someone else. You already know the plan so I can't have you telling anyone if you decide not to participate."

            Gavin only paused for a second. "Fine then, I'll help. But only because I don't like the thought of dying."

            Geoff sidled towards the door. "Good. All we need to do now is get people on the inside to give us information. Speaking of which..." Geoff threw the door open, and Caleb, who had just had his ear pressed against the door, tumbled forward onto the floor with a gasp of shock. Geoff smiled down at him. "Here's one now."


	5. Prep Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get ready.

            Geoff grabbed the back of Caleb's gear. "You should really try to walk quietly when following someone. I heard you when we were walking in here. Gavin, please close the door again. And make sure no one else is out there this time." He picked Caleb up and slammed him against the wall. "I'm only gonna ask you once. WHY WERE YOU LISTENING TO US?"

            "I can't say! I'll never live it down!"

            Geoff kneed Caleb in the stomach. "YOU WON'T LIVE AT ALL IF YOU DON'T TELL ME, NOW!"

            "Okay, okay, Gus told me to! He told me to follow you guys because he saw you talking and then going towards the abandoned offices. Please don't kill me!"

            Geoff threw Caleb into a chair, and Ryan started to tie him up with his emergency prisoner rope. _Be prepared._

            Caleb was sweating like a dog. "I can't say anything else! I don't want to get fired! The last time I got paid was for winning an Ultimate Frisbee tournament!"

            Geoff laughed and grinned ear to ear. "Ultimate Frisbee? That's not even a real sport!" Caleb looked offended. "But never mind that. You and me are gonna make a devilish little deal." His smile made this statement more horrifying.

            "What kind of deal?"

            "The soul-selling kind. Except I don't get your soul, just your cooperation. AKA, my bitch on the inside. Don't take that out of context or you're dead."

            "Got it. What do you want? I'll do anything if you don't kill me."

            Geoff leaned in. "Well, first of all, how much do you _hate_ the Warden?"

            "He's a real asshole, I can tell you that." Caleb eyed Geoff with suspicion. "Why?"

            "Are there any other guards that feel this way?"

            "Well, Lindsay always says that she wouldn't mind the Warden taking a tumble. Down a flight of stairs. _Psycho_ style."

            Michael perked up. "Sounds like a feisty one."

            Caleb looked over. "She is."

            Geoff grabbed his face and turned it back forward. "Stay focused asshole. Who else?"

            "Well, uh, there's Miles, he-"

            "Next."

            "Oh, okay, um, there's Kerry. He's in charge of solitary confinement, and he hangs out with Miles sometimes, but Kerry said it's only because Miles scared him into the friendship."

            "And he hates the Warden?"

            "Hell yeah. The Warden once made him walk around the prison a hundred times because he stepped away from his post. Said he felt like Frodo."

            "What a nerd. But he'll do." Geoff twirled his mustache. "So we got three guards, and Miles, who won't do anything when the time comes, just watch the world burn. I'm sure you and the other ones can get some other guards on our side. _Right?_ "

            Caleb's eyes shifted left and right. "Oh, yeah, totally. Whatever you say Geoff. No problem."

            "Good. Now to my next question. Who the fuck is getting the prisoners rebellious and shit?"

            Caleb only looked at the ground.

            "Alright, I guess we'll have to make do with only two guards then."

            "Wait! It's Gus. Again. He's telling the prisoners that you're slipping off the throne. And then they try to take it for themselves. But thanks to Gavin, your little British killing machine; as Gus calls him, his plans so far have failed."

            "That little shit. Who does he think he is?" Geoff turned and punched the wall. "OW!" He turned back to Caleb. "Okay, let him keep spreading rumors. That just means more murder for Gavin."

            Gavin scoffed. "Great."

            Geoff ignored him and carried on. "Caleb, what you, Lindsay, and Kerry are going to do is help us with our plan that I'm sure you heard all the details to. So get Lindsay and Kerry in a position where we can talk to them. And don't speak a word of this to Miles, or Gus, or anyone else. If Gus asks what you found out, just tell him you couldn't find us."

            "Got it."

            "Good. Can you get us guns?"

            Caleb nodded slowly. "Pistols, yeah. We have extras that won't be missed."

            Geoff was satisfied. "Okay. Ryan, you can untie him now."

            As Ryan worked on the knots, Miles pulled his ear away from the connecting wall of the adjacent room. He could hardly contain his laughter.

 

            In the next week, Ray received cakes filled with rope, adrenaline, duct tape, booze, and small bricks of C4. He was in his cell with his latest delivery, a tazer, when Ryan knocked on the bars. Ray looked up.

            "Hey, dude. What's going on?" He lifted up his calendar and sat the tazer in his secret contraband hole. Ryan stared at the contents.

            "How do you get all of that stuff?"

            Ray smiled. "Tina. She visited me on Sunday, and I gave her a list. We have a code."

            "Your girlfriend got you all of that? Is she a crime lord?"

            Ray shook his head. "No, but she gives the list to my connections."

            Ryan folded his arms. "And what kind of connections are those, anyway? You've never told us."

            Ray shrugged. "YOLO, am I right?"

            "No. You aren't right. I'm tired of this deflection of yours. Talk."

            Ray sighed, and looked at Ryan, as if reading him. Finally, he nodded. "I guess I can tell you." He sighed again and shook his head, as if he couldn't believe what he was doing. "But you can't tell anyone, okay? I don't want anyone to know. Come in. It's not as clean as your sterile cell, but there are only a couple blood stains." Ryan was notorious for having the cleanest cell in the prison. When he wasn't with the other guys, he was keeping his cell clean. He told everyone that it was a compulsion that developed after his incident, but most people just kept it simple by saying that he was a clean freak.

            Ryan looked down the row to see if anyone was coming, and ducked inside. They sat on the bed. "What's the secrecy for?"

            Ray rubbed his eyes and took a deep breath. "Okay, here we go, uh, you know the Brown Man, right?"

            Ryan nodded. "The Puerto Rican drug lord, yeah?"

            Ray was watching the door, but he nodded. "Yeah, that guy."

            Ryan smirked. "You know him? That's a pretty big deal."

            Ray shifted. "Well, I don't so much know him..."

            "Then what does he have to do with any of this?"

            Ray held up his hands to stop Ryan. "You didn't let me finish!" He sighed again. "Fucking shit. Okay, here's the thing. I don't know him, because I _am_ him." He searched Ryan's expression. Ryan was amused.

            "You're kidding, right? You aren't the Brown Man. Bullshit!"

            Ray shook his head. "No man, it's true! I'm totally the Brown Man!" He laughed in disbelief. "I just told you this huge secret that nobody else knows, and you just laughed it off!" Ryan rolled his eyes. Ray took this as a challenge. "Okay man, fine. You want proof?"

            Ryan chuckled. "Yeah, man. Show me proof."

            Ray turned and unpinned his calendar from the wall, revealing an even bigger hole than his contraband hole. Gallon bags full of weed tumbled out. Ryan looked at it all.

            He looked at Ray. Ray raised an eyebrow. "Oooookay. Maybe you _are_ the Brown Man. But what are you doing here? And how does no one else know that you're the Brown Man?"

            Ray smiled. "Well, technically, I'm not here because I'm the Brown Man. I'm here for drug possession with intent to distribute. The cops don't even _know_ that I'm the Brown Man. They think I'm just another dealer. So I have one of my guys relay the orders they get from Tina, which I give her. But I'm still the boss, plain and simple."

            Ryan shook his head and laughed. "This is amazing." Ray sighed in response. "And no one knows? Not even Joel?"

            Ray started to put the weed back into the hole. "Not even Joel. I keep this shit on lock. But now you have to keep quiet, okay? I don't want attention called to myself because I run every drug deal in Puerto Rico. I'm a quiet soul, really."

            Ryan scoffed. "A quiet soul? Isn't the Brown Man suspected to be responsible for fifty murders and at least one hundred disappearances in Puerto Rico?"

            Ray shrugged. "Well, fuckin', you know." Ryan's jaw dropped. "They never proved any of those accusations anyway. And even if I _did_ cause any of those mysterious accidents, I wouldn't have been the one to pull the fucking trigger. I'm not stupid." Ryan nodded in awe, and partial fear. The whole ruse was brilliant. Ray pinned the calendar to the wall and looked back to Ryan. "Was there something you needed, or were you just here to learn my dark secrets?"

            Ryan snapped out of it. "Oh, yeah. I need you to get something. And it needs to be all hush hush. Not even Geoff can know."

            "I _am_ hush hush. What do you need?"

            Ryan sighed and closed his eyes. "A skull mask."

            "What? Why?"

            Ryan rubbed his temples. "Don't. Ask. Please. I just need a full head, black, skull mask."

            Ray's eyes narrowed. "That's... oddly specific. Are you a serial killer?"

            Ryan shook his head. "No, no, I'm not a psycho. I just need it for the riot, in case things get... out of hand."

            Ray kept any further questions to himself. "Alright. Tina's visiting again tomorrow. I'll tell her."

            Ryan got up to leave but he stopped. He looked like he was in deep thought. Ray tapped him on the shoulder. He snapped out of his trance. Ray looked concerned.

            "Are you okay, dude? You look like you just figured out the meaning of life or something."

            Ryan shook his head. "I just remembered something else I need." Ray waited.

Ryan failed to continue.

            "Well? What is it?" Ray asked.

            "Oh, yeah, um, I just need a, uh..." Ray raised his eyebrows. "You know, a... thing." Ryan said, rather evasively. Ray rolled his eyes.

            "If you don't want to say it out loud, just mime it or some shit."

            Ryan thought for another second, and then he nodded. He held up a finger. "One word." Ryan nodded. He made a very specific motion with his hands. Ray understood.

            "Okay, so you want-" The intercom crackled to life overhead, cutting him off.

            "All prisoners to their cells. Lights out in five minutes."

            Ray looked at Ryan. "You better go. I'll get that stuff for you."

            Ryan rubbed his eyes. "Thanks man. I just hope it's not a mistake." Ray frowned. Ryan continued. "Anyway, at least we both have a secret to keep now. Even though mine's probably not as big of a deal for you." Ray laughed nervously. Ryan stood up and headed to the door. He turned. "Thanks for the favor." Ray smiled.

            "YOLO, am I right?" Ryan shook his head and walked away.

 

            Meanwhile, Gavin was standing outside the door to the infirmary. Meg was on duty today, and he was currently getting up the courage to talk to her. He sighed, and walked towards the door. It swung open suddenly and Gavin stopped to avoid getting hit. Meg walked through, staring at her clipboard. She jumped when she looked up and saw him.

            "Oh, do you need medical attention?"

            Gavin nodded without thinking, and then thought up a lie about a stomach ache. She walked him inside the infirmary and over to a table.

            "So, what seems to be the problem?"

            Gavin pointed at his stomach. "It really hurts in this... general... area."

            Meg frowned. "And you thought that warranted a visit to the infirmary... why?"

            Gavin froze. She waited for an answer. He laughed nervously. "Well, I mean, yeah. I don't like stomach aches. They, uh, hurt my stomach. And I wanted to talk to you."

            She crossed her arms. "Oh, really? And what did you want to talk to me about? These recent murders you've been committing?"

            Gavin's eyes widened. "Geoff said you didn't know anything about that! Who told you?"

            She poked his chest. "You did, just now." Gavin swore to himself. "But I had my suspicions. Everyone said it was Michael, but these new ones didn't look like anything Michael's done before. And I'd heard people saying that you were the newest member of Achieve, so I put it together. I'm not stupid." Gavin shook his head.

            "I know you're not! But you didn't need to know. We don't talk all that often anyway." She huffed and began to walk away. Gavin grabbed her arm. She looked to see if anyone saw. "Wait! I need to ask a favor. Can you get rid of a body for us?"

            Meg's eyes narrowed and she pulled out of Gavin's grip rather aggressively. She poked his chest. "Who is 'us'? Is it your little gang? Whose body is it? I'm not giving you an answer until you tell me. You can't just come in here with your cute accent and sparkling eyes asking for a favor and expect for me to just say yes." She realized that she had leaned over him in an attempt to intimidate. She leaned back.

            He frowned, even though he knew he should have expected this. "Yes, it's for the gang, and..." He looked around and then he leaned in and whispered. "The body is the Warden's." She gasped.

            "THE WAR-" Gavin put his hand over her mouth and put a finger to his lips. He lowered his hand. She brought her voice down to a whisper as well. "The Warden? Are you crazy? You're gonna kill the Warden?" He nodded.

            "Geoff wants to take over the prison. He says that the Warden is an asshole, and that nobody likes him, and that he needs to go down."

            Meg nodded. "I can agree that the Warden _is_ an asshole. But you're really gonna kill him? Wait, don't answer that, I already know what the answer from a murderer is gonna be."

            Gavin whispered loudly. "That is _not_ fair. Okay, maybe it is completely fair, but I don't need you calling me out on it."

            "Too fucking bad." They frowned at each other for a moment, staring each other down. Meg sighed. "Fine." Gavin lit up. Meg slapped his knee with one of those reflex mallets. Gavin kicked and yelped. Another nurse looked over. Meg smiled at him and waved cheerfully. He went back to his work. She looked back at Gavin. "Tell me when it's happening, and I'll get ready." She blew hair out of her eyes. "This is insane." Gavin nodded.

            "I know." He stared at her for a moment, eyebrow raised quizzically. "Did you say my accent was cute?" She slapped his other knee.

            "Shut the hell up." Gavin put up his hands.

            "Alright, fine, I'm leaving, jeez." He rushed out, blushing. Meg rolled her eyes, held up her middle finger behind her clipboard, and walked over to another waiting prisoner.

 


	6. Suits

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff thinks for awhile

            Geoff laid in his cell, wide awake. He had no cell mate. Special request. That, and the prison got tired of assigning him a new one every few days. His thoughts wandered to the future. There was no end to how much Geoff wished to rule this prison. Not just because he wanted to kill that  _stupid_  Warden. No. He wanted the power. In the mafia, he was, at best, mildly important. But here, he was on top. Not including the Warden, of course. And that was a problem soon to be rectified.

            Geoff began studying the tattoos on his arms as he always did when he couldn’t sleep. He had no desire to leave. There was no reason to leave. He had everything he needed here. People feared him here. He had friends here. Outside, he had nothing. After he was arrested, his belongings were stolen by rival families looking to cash in on his misfortune. The family he belonged to cut him off to protect themselves. So he would stay. Even though he didn’t even have a life sentence. Fifty years, yes. But not life. He didn’t care. The outside world would be a whole different kind of prison. If he was going to stay in prison, the least he could do was make sure he ran the place. And that brought his thoughts back around to killing the Warden. He had a plan, and a team, and people on the inside. There was almost no way they could fail. Almost. If his people were competent enough, and Gavin grew some balls, they would pull it off.

            He wondered if he should tell Griffon about what they were going to do. He had another anger management session with her tomorrow. He would always go in, and there would be comfortable chairs, and he would sit, and she would sit across from him, and she would ask about what makes him angry, and he would yell about what made him angry, and she would sit and listen, and nod in agreement, and when he was done yelling, she would suggest in her sweet voice how he could count to ten, or take deep breaths, and he would promise that he would try. She often had more to say than that. He usually never took her advice. Mostly so he could visit her again. She was really the only one in the prison that listened to him. Back in his bunk, Geoff realized he was smiling, in spite of himself. He shook his head. It would probably be best not to tell her. He shouldn’t get her involved. She agreed with him when he complained about the Warden, so she probably wouldn’t care about him being killed. There was no reason to tell her if it would make no difference. Why did he even consider it? That would have been a huge risk!

            He felt his eyelids getting heavy. Everything was in its place, he decided. The plan would operate with its current resources. Nothing more, nothing less. He assumed that they would begin soon enough. He was asleep soon after.

            Geoff was awoken by the sound of his bars being hit with a nightstick. He sat up, blinked a couple times, and then looked outside to see Gus, who was holding a rather large black bag that had the words “David’s Bridal” written in big scrawling letters. A smile crept across his face. Finally. He stood and clapped his hands together.

            “Good to see that the Warden keeps good on his promises, right Gus?”

            Gus rolled his eyes. “Yes. What a great guy. A real team player. Can you just take the suit?” Geoff raised his eyebrows, and Gus realized that he had neglected his facade of kindness. He cleared his throat. “What I mean is, you should take the suit so everyone can see how dapper you look in it. They’ll really be intimidated, and made even a little aroused!” Geoff didn’t know how to respond. They looked at each other in silence for a moment. Gus opened the cell. “Just take the bag.” Geoff grabbed it from him and checked to see if there was indeed a suit. There was, indeed, a suit. Bowtie and all. Geoff smiled once again.

            He looked up at Gus. “Thanks. Now get out.” Gus was taken aback by this disrespectful command. Geoff shook the bag. “I need to change.” Gus didn’t move. Geoff sighed. “ _Please?_ “ Gus smiled and walked away. Geoff stared at the bag. Phase one complete.


	7. Clicks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Geoff shows off.

Hours later, during “free time”, which truth be told was really just a time for the guards to keep the prisoners in their blocks unless they really needed to leave, the members of Achieve sat, in a circle, talking. Geoff was not there, again. In fact, none of them had seen him all day. Frankly, they were all worried, but until he was found dead, it was out of their minds. Ryan and Jack were discussing a rather belligerent prisoner that had almost suplexed Gavin, while Gavin and Michael talked about how Gavin had almost suplexed a rather belligerent prisoner. Ray sat in between the two conversations, wondering if he should tell them that they were having completely different recollections of Gavin almost getting fucking murdered. Joel sat down next to him. Ray looked at Joel in surprise. There was no urgent reason for him to be here. They sat next to each other for a second in silence, because the two conversations had caught wind of each other, and they were currently arguing about who had almost suplexed who. Over the noise, Joel leaned over to Ray.

“Your secret is safe with me, Brown Man.” He whispered. Ray looked at Joel with surprise. He didn’t know how to respond. Joel went back to watching the others, who were now in a full on shouting match.

Ray managed to recover. “How-”

“Doesn’t matter how. I know. I won’t tell anyone. And you won’t get any special treatment. Ryan didn’t tell me, if that’s what you were wondering.” Joel said, rather dismissively. “So what are they yelling about?”

Ray put aside his shock to answer. “Gavin knocked this guy’s food onto the floor and almost got thrown through a table. They’re debating who would have won.”

Joel snorted. “Not Gavin.”

Ray nodded in agreement. “So why are you out and about? There’s no good reason for you to be here, right?” Joel looked offended. “I mean, not that you being here is a bad thing, it’s just, you never show up without good reason.”

Joel shrugged. “Geoff told me to come.”

Inside, Ray was relieved that someone had talked to Geoff. On the outside, he was indifferent. “You saw Geoff?”

“Yep. Early this morning. And then he fucked off to who knows where.”

Gavin and Michael were now yelling at each other.  _That seems to happen a lot_ , Ray thought. _Fucking losers_. And now Ryan was interjecting. Two against Gavin. Again. And now Jack is trying to calm the situation down. Ray thought back to his drug lord days. If  _his_  people had gotten into an argument like this, one of them would be dead on the ground, shot or stabbed, and that would be the end of it. Ray smiled. These guys wouldn’t kill each other. This group of friends would stay alive. Always a good thing. Sadly, Ray’s hopeful thoughts were interrupted.

A loud bang rang out through the cell block. It sounded like a door being swung open with great force. The entire block was silent. Even the Achieve men had stopped arguing. Heels clicking on the floor pierced the air. Ray and Joel stood nervously. The prisoners were parting across the block. They parted into the circle where the Achieve men were gathered, and Geoff, dressed in a full suit, walked in with a proud look on his face. The suit was immaculate, not a speck of dust was on it. Geoff’s tattooed hands contrasted sharply with the shining cufflinks. He wore a bowtie that was perfectly tied. All around him, prisoners, not excluding the Achieve men, dressed in grimy, bloody, torn prison jumpsuits, gaped at the sight of the most gentlemanly prisoner in the entire complex. He looked, and felt, important and powerful. Geoff’s mustache was waxed, as was his hair. His shoes shined like the sun. He was entirely done up. He looked around at the prisoners with a smirk on his face, one of pride and satisfaction, and then he straightened his bowtie and swaggered over to his friends. He looked around at the prisoners, and even some guards, that had stopped to look at him.

“You’re all dismissed. Go back to what you were doing before I lit up your lives.” The crowd slowly began to talk again, granted, about Geoff, but talk nonetheless. The Achieve men crowded around Geoff.

“Geoff, you look bloody top!”

“You motherfucker, he actually got you a suit!”

“Dude, can I borrow this? I’ve always wanted to look like a pimp.”

“Is that fire-proof? I need to know for future… times.”

“Is this real polyester? Is that shirt cotton? Is it machine washable? No, probably not.”

Geoff held out his hands to silence them. He reveled in the feeling for a moment, and then he spoke. “To answer you all, Gavin, thank you. Michael, he did. Ray, fuck no. Ryan, FUCK no. Jack, yes, yes, and no.” Jack nodded, satisfied. Geoff continued in a hushed tone. “I hope that phase two of the grand plan is almost ready to be put into motion?” Everyone but Michael and Jack nodded.

“Actually, we haven’t spoken to Joel yet.” Michael said.

“Why not?”

“BECAUSE WE COULDN’T FUCKING FIND THE WHACK JOB! He’s a fucking ghost or something!” Michael was obviously annoyed. Geoff slapped his hand on Joel’s shoulder.

“Well, he’s here now!”

“And I take offense to being called a whack job. You freak out about gold one time, and you never live it down.” Joel began to watch the guards, who watched them, at all times. Geoff looked at Joel expectantly and cleared his throat. Joel rolled his eyes in annoyance. “Fine.” He motioned towards Michael and Jack. “Follow me.” He walked away at a brisk pace. Jack and Michael looked at each other and quickly followed behind.

The rest of them sat down with Geoff’s suggestion. Geoff himself stayed standing, because he didn’t want to get his pants dirty. Gavin, while thoroughly impressed by Geoff’s getup, didn’t understand why the suit was necessary for Geoff’s plan. “Geoff, why did you need to get the suit to start the plan?”

Geoff smiled. “Oh, I didn’t. But I figured by the time it got here we would be more than ready to start. Like one of those starting pistols.” Gavin nodded slowly, comprehending the statement.

“So we’re gonna start soon?” Ray asked.

Geoff nodded. “Tomorrow. During yard time. You guys have everything you need?”

Ryan looked at Ray, and Ray met eyes and nodded. Ryan sighed as Geoff continued. “Start the riot as soon as we give you the signal. Otherwise too many guards will be around.” Ryan raised his hand.

“How exactly does one start a prison riot?”

Geoff shrugged. “Punch someone, I guess. I saw one time where a guy just yelled ‘riot!’ and everyone was off.” Ryan looked satisfied. “Ray, can you go prep supplies?”

“I’ll help Ray.” Ryan said.

Ray shrugged in agreement and they walked off. Now it was just Geoff and Gavin. They were silent for a moment. It had never really been just them, alone. Usually someone else was around. But now it was the leader and the new guy. Geoff stared at Gavin. Gavin stared at the floor. He spoke in a nervous voice.

“So, Geoff.”

“Yes?”

“This…plan of ours. How fool-proof is it?”

“How fool-proof are you?”

“Wait, wot?”

“Are you gonna do what I tell you?”

“Yeah, of course! Why wouldn’t I?”

“You’ve gotten cold feet before. Remember that one mark?”

“Okay, that was only because he was really big, and he looked like he was on PCP! Plus I killed him later!”

“You’re too soft. But I’m taking you with me because you know how to keep hostages.”

“Well, yeah, but-”

“But nothing. Tomorrow, Caleb is gonna get us into the administration wing, and then you’re gonna take the Warden and his secretary and anyone else in the area hostage. We’ll just put them in the Warden’s office and lock us inside.”

“Why don’t you just kill him?”

“Because I want to see this hell he’s created crumble at his feet. He has to be alive for that.”

“Jesus Christ Geoff. What did he ever do to you?” Geoff didn’t answer. Rather, he turned around and left. Gavin was left there alone. He felt eyes on him, so he decided to find Ray and Ryan. On the catwalk above, Miles giggled to himself. This bloodbath was going to be spectacular.


	8. Riot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan starts with Ray and Ryan

The prisoners were still filing into the Yard when Ray and Ryan met at the table. Ray had a small box of supplies. The guards truly didn’t care. He sat the box down and sat next to Ryan. Ryan fiddled with his hands, and they exchanged nervous grunts. Neither of them had really been involved with the violence aspect of the gang, so they were both pretty nervous. Ray, who had been involved in a violent drug ring for many years, was mostly nervous for the rest of the guys, and Ryan was nervous that he would have to pull out the big guns. Ray figured that the best thing to do would be to talk, so he decided to ask Ryan about something he didn’t quite understand.

“So.”

Ryan looked up, biting his lip. “Yeah?”

“I’ve just been meaning to ask you. You know how when Gavin first got here and we had him kill that guy, and it was the first time he had ever stabbed someone?”

“Yep, I was there.”

“And then Miles came up to us in the cafeteria to congratulate us on turning Gavin into a killer?”

Ryan’s grip on the table tightened. “Yeah?”

“Well, he said something that really set you off. Something about knots and Boy Scouts?”

Ryan sighed. “Yeah, I suppose you want me to explain that.” Ray nodded. “Alright. What Miles meant is that when you first become a Boy Scout, you’re expected to learn all these knots. And then remember them. Forever. And it’s really tedious, and by the time you’re done, they’re engrained in your mind. But none of the knots last forever, obviously. In fact, most of them kinda suck. But thinking about what he said about that string in your mind that holds everything together, and how some people try to tie it back together after it snaps, I think that’s what he meant when he talked about being a Boy Scout.”

Ray squinted. “So Miles basically said that everyone is a homicidal time bomb?”

Ryan shrugged. “I guess so. I don’t think anyone really knows what Miles thinks about half the time. He might have just said that to poke fun at my incident, which is really why I got all pissed.”

Ray frowned. “But you’re fine now, right? That was just one time, and nothing big like that has happened since.”

Ryan shrugged again. He decided to change the subject. “So, how are we gonna know when to start the riot?” Ray rolled his eyes and turned to dig in his box of supplies. He turned back around holding a walkie-talkie.

“Geoff said he would call us on this when Jack and Michael were ready. I think the more important question is how guys like us start a riot. We aren’t intimidating at all.” As if on cue, a large man with a septum piercing and a beard walked up to them.

“Y’all are Ray and Ryan, right?” The viking-like man asked.

Ryan nodded with suspicion. The man gave a warm smile.

“Good. I’m Adam. Joel told me that you guys would need a little help starting a riot.”

Ray felt a weight off his back. “Thank god. I was afraid we would have to do it ourselves.”

Adam chuckled. “You guys could never start a riot. That’s my job.”

Ryan smiled. “You start riots?”

“Oh, yeah. Sometimes. When Joel needs me to.”

“Joel makes you start riots? You look a little better for wear for a guy who starts riots.”

Adam was offended. “Do you think an arsonist stands in a fire he’s lit? No, because unless you’re Kdin, nobody is that stupid. I just start it and stand back.”

“So do you want to start this one?” Ray asked.

“Sure. Just give me the signal.”

After about ten minutes, the walkie-talkie crackled to life. Geoff’s voice came through in a whisper. “Are you guys ready?”

Ray whispered back to be safe. “Yeah, we have a giant to help us.”

“What? You know what, don’t tell me. Just start the riot.” The radio went silent.

Ray turned to Adam. “Do your thing.”

Adam smiled. Gavin’s cellmate, Ben, was standing behind him. Adam turned, and picked Ben up, and held him above his head. Ben started screaming for Adam to put him down. Adam started tossing him up and down. “RIOT! RIOT! RIOT!” Adam yelled at the top of his lungs. The prisoners around Adam turned to look, and then they were off. There were prisoners punching, yelling, and stabbing. Across the yard Ray saw a prisoner run to a guard, slug him in the face, and run away. Guards spoke into their radios, but more guards were already pouring out of the doors to the yard and were attempting, usually unsuccessfully, to subdue the rioters. Adam dusted off his hands, and crawled under the Achieve table. Ray and Ryan were dumbfounded, firstly at the ease that Adam started the riot, and secondly at the sight of the giant of a man crawling under a small table. They looked at each other for a second, as if deciding whether or not to join the fighting, or stay where they were. They didn’t have much time to decide, because Ray had just been grabbed by a man wearing glasses and a dyed pink mustache that looked a lot like Geoff’s. Ray pulled out of his grip and ran into the crowd, panicked.

“Ryan!” Ray yelled from somewhere in the crowd. Ryan turned towards the voice, and he tried to find Ray in the mass of prisoners. He was nowhere to be seen, but Ryan saw something else that made his heart drop into his stomach. Miles was currently working his way through the prisoners, striking with both his baton, and his foot. He was having the time of his life, laughing and whooping with joy every time he grounded a prisoner. They locked eyes for a moment, and Miles smiled and waved as he slammed a prisoner’s face into his kneecap. He pointed at Ryan and made a scissor motion with his fingers. That really got Ryan angry. He had to find Ray before Miles did. But there was no way he could get through that crowd before Miles. Ryan frowned. But he knew someone who could.

After running into the crowd to get away from that weirdo with the pink mustache, Ray found himself moving further away from Ryan in his successful attempts at dodging punches. He heard Miles’ laughter in the direction he was heading. In between a rock and a hard place. Ray kept moving, and he found a piece of workout equipment that he had never used, and he stepped onto it to get a better look. Even with the extra height he could barely see over the heads of the prisoners. He had never noticed how tall everyone else in this prison was. He yelled for Ryan and then he scanned the heads in the crowd, and it didn’t take long for him to find Miles, beating everyone in sight. Miles stopped and looked somewhere in the crowd. He pointed and made a scissor motion. Ray followed his finger and found Ryan. Ryan seemed to freeze for a second, and then he turned around towards what Ray assumed was the box of supplies. He was out of sight for a second while he was digging around in the box, and then he was back, staring at something in his hands. Ray saw Ryan sigh, and he slipped on the mask. He didn’t do anything for a second, and then something weird happened. His posture straightened, his fists curled, and he looked around as if seeing it all for the first time. Then he turned back to the box, but Ray failed to see what happened next, because the pink mustached man had found him. “Shit, bye!” He jumped off the bench and ran again.

_Riot. Yes. Weapon. Where. Box. Viking under table? Coward. Box. Useless. Useless. Wait. Perfect. Brown Man. Find him. Miles. Avoid him. Fun time._

Ray ducked under a wild punch, which gave the mustached man enough time to catch up. Ray tried to reason with him.

“Dude, what the fuck did I do to you?”

“I know who you are! I used to work for you! I’m gonna get some serious prison cred for kicking your ass. Besides, it’s a riot! It’s in the spirit!” He had a nice voice. Ray had to give him that.

“I don’t think I would hire a guy with a pink mustache.” The man lunged, and Ray reacted by popping him in the face with his fist. The guy stumbled back, and he shook his head before throwing a fast uppercut. Ray didn’t have time to react, and the punch sent him sprawling. The mustache guy put his knee on Ray’s chest, and as he was winding up for the knockout, Ray became aware of the yelling of prisoners and guards coming from behind him.  _Miles is here._ He thought.  _End of the line._  Ray took off his glasses so that they wouldn’t get broken. Through his blurred vision he saw Mustache begin his swing. As he did so, a brown rectangle came out of nowhere and struck Mustache in what Ray assumed was the abdomen. Mustache grunted and fell off of Ray’s chest. A figure with a black circle for a head stepped into view and held out a hand, maybe. Ray reached out nervously and the hand pulled him to his feet. Ray put on his glasses and almost had a heart attack at the sight of a skull mask.

“Gah! Oh, Ryan, it’s just you. Thank fuck you got here. That guy was gonna knock me out.” Ryan stayed silent. “So how did you get here so fast?” Ryan held up the baseball bat that Ray had gotten for him, and pointed past Ray. Ray turned, and a small alley of prisoners was cut through to the table. There were a lot of prisoners and guards on the ground. Some of them weren’t moving. “Oh. Wow. Nice?” Ryan nodded and swung the bat onto his shoulder. They looked around. The riot was still raging. Mustache was rolling on the ground, still moaning in pain. They could still hear Miles’ laughter. It was closer. Ryan motioned for Ray to follow him, and they walked back to the table, where the box of supplies sat, surprisingly, undisturbed. Adam still sat underneath it. He had produced a walkman from nowhere and had the volume cranked to max. He seemed to be air guitaring Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked. This was interesting, considering the song was playing itself out in real life. Ray pulled the handgun out and loaded it. Safety off, hammer cocked. Only the third time he had ever used a gun. Or it would have been if Ryan hadn’t held out his hand at that second. Ray sighed and handed it over.

“Remember Ryan, not until Geoff gives the signal.”

Ryan nodded. He put the gun into his waistband, and he picked the baseball bat up again. For the next five minutes, he kept any and all rioters at bay. It was like keeping groupies at bay, or how Ray imagined keeping groupies at bay would be like. The crowd was thinner now. Some were unconscious, some were dead. Every time that the fighting would lull, there would always be one prisoner that would start it up again. Finally, Ray heard the walkie-talkie crackle to life. He grabbed it and tried to talk into it.

“Geoff, is that you? Did you do it?”

Gavin’s voice came back through static, no doubt Jack and Michael’s doing. “Um, not exactly.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Be sure to read my other works. They are way better than this one, trust me.


End file.
